Your World Tonight - U.S. trade warning, Mangione guilty plea, giant hogweed invasion, and more

Episode Date: August 14, 2026

U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer says the talks with Canada are not a “trade war”, but also says Washington will not tolerate any retaliation.Also: Luigi Mangione admits to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson in the back on a Manhattan sidewalk in 2024. His lawyers say that means New York State must drop the murder charge against him.And: A giant, toxic plant is spreading fast in Canada. It’s infecting watersheds and giving people painful burns. Experts say we need to get used to it.Plus: Five years of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Montreal police surveillance network, B.C. wildfires, and more.

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These tariffs that are coming in, they are response to Canadian retaliatory measures, like the kind of things that China would do. More tough talk on tariffs. The U.S. trade representative compares Canada to China in regard to how it responded to past American levies on Canadian goods. And he says this country should rethink any plans to retaliate against the tariffs the U.S. plans to impose on Wednesday or face the consequences. This is your world tonight. I'm Tashana Reid. It is Friday, August 14th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast. Violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message and a killer is certainly not a hero.

Guilty as charged, Luigi Mangione became a household name after he was identified as the prime suspect in the shooting death of a U.S. health insurance CEO. Today, he told a court he did it, but his legal battles aren't over yet. U.S. trade representative Jameson Greer says Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump will be presented with a number of options on a potential path forward on tariffs. Details of these plans have not been disclosed, but Greer made it clear.

The U.S. won't tolerate retaliatory tariffs from Canada if Washington goes ahead with its proposed new tariffs next week. Mark Harney has said Canada will consider all options, including retaliation. Tom Perry reports. We've been working with our Canadian colleagues. Jameson Greer doesn't call. Canadians nasty like his boss, President Donald Trump, but the U.S. Trade Representative had some

stern words for this country as he paid a visit to Des Moines, Iowa. So I've got two countries in the world that have retaliated against the United States for trade measures. The People's Republic of China and Canada. That's not the kind of company you really want to be running in. Canada retaliated when the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber, and autos. Trump is now threatening more tariffs on Canadian goods starting next week, invoking a never-before-use statute that dates back to 1930 to impose a 50% levy on some Canadian exports. Canada has not ruled out further retaliation, though Greer today warned the country should think twice. If a country retaliates against us, we're obviously not going to tolerate that. We'll take action. My sense is the Canadians,

they want to have a more conciliatory approach, but we'll see. Greer has met four times over the past three weeks with Canada's minister responsible for Canada U.S. trade, Dominique Lablant. Canada is looking to stave off new U.S. tariffs and lift existing ones. The U.S. is pressing for an end to provincial bans on American alcohol, changes to Canada's supply management system, and other concessions. Greer says many issues remain unresolved. But to Frank McKenna, former Canadian ambassador to the U.S., there's a clear message in Greer's warning against further retaliation.

So essentially what the United States is saying, we can do anything that we want to anybody in the world, and you can't do a thing in your own defense, because might is right. La Blanc and Canada's chief trade negotiator Janice Charette will remain in Washington this weekend for more talks. La Blanc today brief provinces and territories on where things stand. Sources say the deal under discussion would see the U.S. drop its new tariffs and lower but not eliminate tariffs in place on Canadian states.

steel aluminum auto and forest products. In exchange, Canada would end provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, ease dairy import quotas, and drop auto tariffs. LeBlanc told provinces and territories to be ready to drop their booze bans and restrictions on purchases from American suppliers if a deal is struck, while warning there are many areas where the two sides are still far apart and that a deal right now is not imminent. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. The union representing workers at a Stalantis auto plant says the company is talking about permanently closing and selling it. The Brampton Assembly plant in Ontario was closed in 2024 for retooling. Reopening was then paused, and Stalantus said it was moving Jeep production to the U.S.

Uniform National President Lana Payne says Stalantus is now saying it was going to start discussing the sale of the plant to another company. To say that we are disappointed would be an understatement. This is a gut punch to our union and to our members. Most importantly, to our members, the workers who have given everything to this plant. There were about 3,000 workers at the plant until they were laid off. The brazen killing of United Health Care's CEO in New York 19 months ago made headlines around the world. Today, Luigi Mangione admitted in federal court that he killed Brian Thompson. The admission was a surprise for some, coming with no plea deal from prosecutors.

Caroline Bargut has the details. In a New York City courtroom, Luigi Mangione told a federal judge, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan. I knew what I was doing was illegal, pleading guilty to two federal charges of stalking resulting in death. Jamie McDonald is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. This was not a spontaneous act of violence. It was deliberate, calculated, and premeditated. Mangione, who was 28, said he endured years of severe back pain

and struggled to navigate the health care system and his insurance. In November 2024, he traveled to Manhattan and followed Thompson around the city, eventually learning the location of the conference Thompson would be at by emailing United Healthcare leadership, posing as an investor managing 15 billion dollars in assets. On December 4th, Mangione shot and killed Thompson on our New York City sidewalk. We live in a civilized society governed by the rule of law. We debate, we disagree, we protest. We do not commit murder. No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can ever justify murder. In the days that followed, Mangioni became a cult hero for Americans frustrated with the health

insurance system. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tish had some words for his admirers. Violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message and a killer is certainly not a hero. Mangione is also facing state murder charges. His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifalo, says New York law does not allow a person to be prosecuted twice for the same crime. It was a single tragic event, yet he's being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. It's also known as, as the double jeopardy law. Today's guilty plea triggers the statute, and we just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York's double jeopardy protections.

Barrett Berger is a former federal prosecutor. The New York state statute is pretty favorable to defendants. So the court's going to have to look at, was this actually part of the same criminal act or transaction? Do any of the exceptions in New York law apply here? Is it a given that this will go away? Absolutely not. She says there's still a chance the state charges will proceed to trial, but ultimately will be for a judge to decide.

Mangione faces life in prison. A sentencing hearing for his federal stalking case is scheduled for 8 a.m. December 18th. Caroline Bargut, CBC News, Washington. Coming right up. Heading home for some. Select evacuees in BC's southern interior, return to their properties as others anxiously await what's next. Plus, the concern over the use of artificial intelligence by police in Montreal. And later, we'll have this story. I'm Shian Deschaldei

in Glen Morris, Ontario, where people near the Grand River are trying to get a grip on a giant poisonous plant that's spreading fast. Pandora's box has been opened. The watersheds are infected. It's going to be there for a long time, maybe forever. So we need to learn to live with it. and sap can cause severe burns. I'll have that story later on your world tonight. Residents of Summerland, BC, want to go home. And today, nearly a week after, a wildfire raged through their community, some will be able to.

But many others are still waiting, with no timeline for returning. Helen Pike reports. This is a critical alert from an order partially downgraded to evacuation alert. One Summerland community getting good news. Some residents of the Trout Creek neighborhood able to head home. Other evacuees still waiting to hear what's next. Eric Thompson with the regional district says even with some going home, safety remains the priority. For those of you watching in other areas, please know that emergency professionals and all the agencies involved are doing everything they can to expedite the process to get you and your family back to your home, back to your businesses as quickly as possible.

Those who can't go home are still anxiously waiting. It's chaotic. The fire is so messy. Evacui, Daniel Michaels, has been keeping his mom up to date, relying on heat maps to keep track of the fire. Zooming in on his phone is the closest he can get to home right now. Mom, Anastasia Hernandez, says leaving was intense. Sitting at the parking lot on Friday night, Saturday morning, during Peach Fest weekend, with 10 people, two with special needs, three dogs, two cats and a snake, trying to find accommodation, was, I don't think impossible is an exaggeration.

Things at Naramata Center where they're all staying now have been much calmer. At first they were really upset. They didn't know what was happening with a house, but they have each other, so that was a huge blessing. Becoming a host for evacuees is a change of plans for the center. Here's executive director Alison Stewart. Basically, we were up all night. We immediately started receiving some calls from people looking for places to stay,

and we had a large family, for example, arrive here at about 3 o'clock in the morning. That night and in early morning, we made the decision to cancel our summer program week offerings for this week. Now the facility is fashioning programming on the fly, including a pop-up food pantry for evacuees. What are people, what's their favorite? I think kids are really loving rice Krispies. There are about 50 staying there, lots of pets too, getting access to the basics, food, lodging, and an understanding ear. Stewart says people want answers about when they might go home or what's next. You know, there's no at this point clear timeline for people who are needing to go back home.

That's really challenging. And so a lot of what we're doing is just listening. For those headed home now, officials say they need a full tank of gas, three days of food and supplies, and there's a boil water advisory in place. Not a return for all, but a glimmer of hope for those still out of their community. Helm Pike, CBC News, Penticton. 2026 is already one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. And scientists say the intensity of recent wildfire seasons is due to climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions.

Now a new report from the government of Canada says, it's lagging behind its own goals when it comes to preparing communities for climate disasters. Nick Logan tells us more. From fires in BC. It's coming out the manholes right now. Cars are under. To floods in Ontario and heat waves across the country. Canadians are feeling the effects of human-caused climate change this summer.

These risks are only increasing as we look ahead. Annabella Bonata is with the Intact Center on Climate Adaptation based at the University of Waterloo. She says the federal government's first progress report on its national adaptation strategy, which was launched in 2023, shows more needs to be done to prepare Canadians for the risks of climate change. So we're very far from where we need to be to consider ourselves a country that's adapted to the impacts of climate change. Among the targets missed was having more Canadians taking measures to protect their households. Just 30% have taken steps despite 92% of Canadians being aware that disasters could affect their homes.

Municipalities are concerned about affordability, housing, you know, other issues. But when that flood comes through, affordability actually gets worse. And the cost of the municipality is even higher. Achieving the goals of the national adaptation strategy comes at a cost. The government earmarked $2.1 billion to implement the strategy,

including $34 million allocated this week to support a range of climate resilience projects across the country. But the Canadian Climate Institute's Ryan Ness says climate change is costing the economy more than $25 billion a year. We spend a fraction of funds on climate adaptation as we do on other kinds of climate action, including emissions reduction, which is a critical part of the picture as well. But we're, again, not putting anywhere near the amount of resources into adaptation to reduce

the massive costs to Canadians and to the Canadian economy. Prime Minister Mark Carney has changed course on a number of climate commitments. He's also set on building more oil pipelines, something he says must be done for the sake of the economy, but... The changes we have made will mean that our emissions will be higher in the next few years. It's an approach Annabella Bonata takes issue with. We're putting millions towards new pipelines, which will lead to more climate change. That climate change is currently affecting Canadians and destroying homes, destroying communities. Bonata says Canada should be acting now and not waiting for future climate disaster.

to put more Canadians' lives and livelihoods at risk. Nick Logan, CBC News, Vancouver. Police in Montreal have been quietly using a growing network of AI-powered tools capable of tracking vehicles and people across the city. It's a form of mass surveillance. They say they're applying only to specific investigations, but the far-reaching capabilities are raising alarms. As Karen Pauls tells us, the technology is similar to what's now widely used in the U.S., where abuses have already been documented. It was a Radio Canada reporter who spotted a high-powered camera on a lamp post in Montreal this week, a device called a cloud runner. It's unlike the 46 other security cameras used by

Montreal police. You can see what sort of things people are looking at, like the make, Honda. Andrew Elvish is vice president of Genitech, makers of the device. It captures license plate data, but it looks at the vehicle. broadly. What is the color of the vehicle, direction of travel, speed of travel? Montreal police are also using an AI program to quickly search through massive amounts of video. Frederick Abiname is president of the software developer's iMotion security. It's really made for an investigation and it is extremely powerful. It will save thousands of man hour. It will increase the accuracy of the investigation. It's the kind of mass surveillance.

common in places like China, but it's also in wider use in the U.S. where there's been pushback against the tech provider, flock security, concerns about data collection on people not suspected of any wrongdoing, and anger about cases where officers have run searches for personal reasons. The kinds of things we've seen with flock technology in the U.S. can certainly play out here in Canada as well. Tech analyst Karmie Levy says the use of mass surveillance raises serious questions. Why is it being used? Who is using it? What is it being used for? How are my rights being protected? Okay, this is the classical issue of trade-off. Protection versus privacy rights. Jean-François LaTrey is a lawyer in Montreal, specializing in privacy law and cybersecurity.

These are such powerful tools that oversight is very important. Frederick Abiname from Eye Motion understands the concerns. I'm a bit like this. I'm scared of Big Brother. I would not want to know that I'm being looked that without my knowledge. I don't want to know that I'm being surveyed or followed. But he defends his AI software. This technology is not about this. It's really something happened. Let's try and figure out what happened and how it happened. Montreal police say they're only using the device on a specific investigation. CBC reached out to police departments in eight other Canadian cities. As of our

deadline, Vancouver reported using license plate recognition. In Calgary, a real-time AI language translation program on body-worn cameras helps officers communicate with members of the public. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Winnipeg. Five years ago, the United States completed a chaotic and deadly withdrawal of its armed forces in Afghanistan. It ended 20 years of fighting and cleared the way for a full takeover by the Taliban. Since then, its leaders have been on a relentless drive to dismantle the rights Afghan women had gained in the years after the U.S. invasion. Nala Ayed has more. In the Taliban's Afghanistan, white flags are newly on display,

a veneer of celebration to prepare for what they call Victory Day. Handed one of the flags on the street, a man bent over and kissed it. But in the five years, following the chaotic departure of Western forces, under the Taliban is hostage to hardship. Growing poverty, a water crisis, refugee crisis, international isolation, and a growing number of women left behind by the Taliban's edicts. Tahe who is 20 hasn't been to school in five years. She studies and teaches in secret.

We're protecting her identity because she could face reprisals. The climate of fear and more than 100 decrease imposed against women do not harm only women. They are pushing society toward an invisible tragedy. Under those decrees, girls are banned from study past grade 6. In five years, 2.6 million girls have missed out. And then most skilled jobs are completely out of reach. some women are resorting to suicide as a way out. All of it, only deepening Afghanistan's economic woes,

one of the arguments in UNICEF's latest report for lifting the ban. Daniel Timmy has been in Kabul for three years for UNICEF. There are so many challenges in this country where we really need every hand on deck in this situation to be excluding half of the population. It really doesn't make any sense. Some in the current leadership, he says, are more receptive to economic arguments. But so far, hardliners have held sway.

Meantime, the evidence of women's oppression grows. And our data shows that from every four women who was killed, only one single man was arrested. And even then, he was often released within hours. Documented inside by journalists secretly filing for Edmonton-based women-run newspaper Zan Times. Zahranadir is the... editor-in-chief. But what we are trying to do with this, putting out the stories out, is to create a record of what really happened. And countries, especially countries like Canada, they have a choice to make whether they want to engage and how they want to engage.

Five years in, the message to Western nations from Afghans inside and out, stop looking away. Nalajed, CBC News, London. Hockey fans will no longer hear NHL goal calls like this. The Punjabi edition of Hockey Night in Canada will not be returning for another season. The Omni TV production has broadcast hockey games and commentary in Punjabi for 18 years. Rogers, the national rights holder for NHL games, said the difficult decision to end the program was due to low viewership. It's tall, toxic and taking over in many parts of Canada.

Giant hogweed, an invasive plant is spreading so fast, in some provinces, it can't be controlled. Experts are doing what they can to get rid of it. But as Shee and Desjardin reports, despite their efforts, giant hogweed may be here to stay. Kahontagirdot deer trudges through the overgrown wilderness, hunting for a poisonous plant lurking in the woods off Ontario's Grand River and a white protective suit and face shield.

Yep, we found it. A plant with big green leaves, white hairs on the stem, in purple splotches too. Giant hogweed everywhere, mostly younger ones. Deer sprays them with herbicide. Hoping to knock them out, then snaps the stem of a mature one,

throwing it into a garbage bag. Nice. Once it's established, it can be difficult to eradicate. Spreading in several provinces across Canada faster than people can get a handle on. Deere is the ecological team lead at Guyana's say restoration company. The main reason we would manage giant hugweed along these areas is because it's places where people are accessing the river and so we want to try to mitigate exposure.

And they can be enormous, filled with toxic sap that can cause painful blistering burns when exposed to the light. It's harmful to the environment too and can take over areas other plants used to thrive. Experts believe it likely came from Asia about a century ago planted in gardens because it's pretty. When you see it with its full white flower head, it is kind of a striking looking plant. Nathan Munn is the supervisor of forestry operations for the Grand River Conservation Authority. It can be 10 feet taller or so. We try to get to it before it gets to that stage because that's when the seed can spread. Tens of thousands of them, according to John Camp, the founder of the giant hogweed mitigation project.

Pandora's box has been opened. The watersheds are infected. It's going to be there for a long time, maybe forever. So we need to learn to live with it. Kemp volunteers his time trying to combat this invasive plant. So we just want to dig down six inches, which is most of the depth of the shovel. And then we sever off the leaf from the crown from the fruit. But according to Kemp's tracking, it's still growing by about 500% a year along the Grand River.

Munn says if you see it, it's best to try to figure out who owns the property that you're on, whether it's your local municipality, alert the, The local weed inspector for that area is probably the best place to go. Helping experts find where hogweed is sprouting and remove it before it does any harm. Shien de Tadene, CBC News, Glenn Morris, Ontario. And finally, the sound of summer in Richmond, British Columbia, an ice cream truck, doling out cone after cone of soft serve. But this one is delivering more than sweet icy treats.

The song is literally Hong Kong from Hong Kong and the truck and the ice cream. For many in the Hong Kong diaspora, the truck provides a heavy dose of nostalgia. The cheerful jingle and signature red, white and blue design are a close match to the vehicles that have been part of the cityscape since the 1970s. For customer Baying, it's a taste of home.

I'm not always back to Hong Kong. So when I saw it, I would definitely buy it When I'm in Hong Kong. People come in and ask you, is this real? Is this thing real? Are you like, is it a prop? Wayne Poon owns the truck, which unlike its Hong Kong counterparts, is fully electric. He says the idea comes from his own memories from childhood. Whenever we go to the city side of the Hong Kong, we do see this ice cream truck.

And people will lie up for that. Henry Yu is a history professor at the University of British Columbia. He says nostalgia is often linked to a sense of longing and lost. but in cases like this, it's different. That kind of broader diasporic belonging is something that's very powerful when you're in Richmond and you can see how the daily life of people,

where they eat, what they eat, the languages they speak, a sense of, you know, continuously being in multiple places at once and belonging to multiple places. For Colleen Wen, it takes her back to growing up in Hong Kong. It makes me feel like I'm back in school and I'm like I'm walking home from school

and then I hear this music and yeah, we'll get it with my grandpa. Thanks for being with us. This has been your world tonight for Friday, August 14th. I'm Tashauna Reid. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.ca slash podcasts.